Texas Collections Emergency Resource Alliance
An Educational Resource for Disaster Preparedness, Response and Recovery for Texas Cultural Heritage Institutions
A part of the FAIC Alliance for Response (AFR) Network.
Texas Association of Museums Annual Conference
Presentation: TAM, Annual Conference - Lubbock, April 15, 2024, 10:30am
Dial "D" For Disaster
Presenters: Laura Pate and Michael Sproat (TX-CERA), Lynn Rushton Reed (Office of Arts & Culture), and Danielle Brissette (Texas Historical Commission)
The only thing more terrifying than planning for a disaster is living through one. Colleagues from TX-CERA, the Office of Arts & Culture, Dallas, and Magoffin House Museum will take the mystery out of emergency plans and offer real life examples and practical advice with examples from security, conservation, and cultural crime.
To learn more or to register for the TAM Conference, click here.
***Wildfire Resources***
TDEM Has Shared the Following Wildfire Resources:
Fire Fact Sheets & Safety Tips (Home Fire)
Wildfire / Soot Resources for Cultural Heritage:
NEDCC - Recommended Wildfire Resources for Cultural Heritage Organizations
NARA - Fire Safety Self Inspection Form for Cultural Institutions
SI - PRICE - Emergency Documentation
Chicora Foundation, Inc. - Protecting Your Institution From Wild Fires: Planning Not To Burn And Learning To Recover
TX-CERA - Soot Removal Resource
FEMA - After the Fire: Advice For Salvaging Damaged Family Treasures
Colorado-Wyoming Association of Museums - Ash Cleanup for Museums
Heritage Preservation Video - Soot & Ash (7:00)
Webinar: RCWR - Hands On! Detection and Cleaning of Soot
FAIC - Find A Conservator
New Resources
AIHA - Cultural Heritage Emergency Preparedness and Response: Guidelines for the OEHS Professional
ICOM/ICMS - Handbook on Emergency Procedures: Disaster Resilience
Department of Preventative Conservation - Cultural Heritage Safeguarding Plan (CHSP) Handbook
FEMA - Fact Sheet on Art & Culture: Helping People Before, During, & After Disasters PDF (Jan 2024)
FEMA and NEA - Webinar on Disaster Resources for Artists and Art and Cultural Institutions
FAIC - NHR After the Fire: Health and Safety Resources
FAIC - NHR After the Fire: Objects Salvage
FAIC - NHR After the Fire: Book and Paper Salvage
FAIC - Emergency Response and Salvage App - Apple Version
(Visit the Resources Page for additional material.)
Hurricane and Fire Season - Advice for Institutions
If you have a disaster plan, dust it off and make sure it's up to date.
Make printed paper copies of your disaster plan and contact list available to all employees. (Digital copies may become unavailable due to power loss.) The Pocket Response Plan™ (PReP™) creates a wallet-size version of your emergency contact roster.
Determine and rank the likelihood of disasters, hazards and/or other emergencies in your area. You can use FAIC's tools for risk evaluation to guide your assessment.
Complete a site/facilities/buildings assessment. Eliminate hazards such as storage in hallways, blocked fire exits, or improper storage of paints, solvents, etc.
Get to know your local First Responders. Estimate site location/distance and response-time considerations in the event of a disaster.
Plan to train and drill an in-house disaster team. Review personnel abilities, training needs, and responsibilities.
Assess assets and collection materials, including a review of current insurance, documentation and prioritization of assets.
Investigate resource availability and review Vendor Contracts.
Test and revise the preparedness, response, and recovery plans.
Provide staff with easily accessible disaster response information, such as the Emergency Response and Salvage Wheel.
Find alerts (such as the FEMA app or local community alerts) to receive real-time alerts from the National Weather Service.
No disaster plan? Commit to creating one by making a timeline for developing it. The following links can provide a starting point. View our Resources Page for additional information to help customize one for your site:
Emergency Grant and Funding Opportunities
This is a rotating section of available disaster planning, response, and recovery grants or other funding opportunities for Cultural Institutions, Historic Sites, Museums, Archives or Special Collections.
Emergency Collections Assessment for Preservation (CAP) Program - The Emergency CAP is more flexible in that it does not adhere to the annual schedule of the regular CAP program. The goal is to help museums in federally declared disaster areas receive post-disaster collections care recommendations from conservation and building professionals on an expedited basis.
Texas Library Association (TLA) Disaster Relief Fund - The Texas Library Association awards grants to libraries impacted by natural disasters. Grants range from $2,500 to $5,000 and can be used for technology, facility repair, collections, furnishings, or other needs related to storm damage. Academic, public, school and special libraries are eligible to receive assistance.